Rwanda

From 1 February 2025, the Rwanda Registry will only accept Power of Attorneys that strictly comply with the template outlined in Ministerial Order No. 26, dated 17 March 2016. To be compliant, the Power of Attorney must include the name of the authorised agent in Rwanda, their principal place of business, the date of expiry […]

The Hanga Agritech Innovation Challenge Fund, a collaboration between the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the World Bank, is aimed at supporting agri-tech entrepreneurs. The Fund is a USD 2 million facility that aims to address food challenges and advance food innovation in the country. The Chief Technical Advisor in the Ministry […]

Rwanda published and enacted Law n° 055/2024 of 20/06/2024 on the Protection of Intellectual Property (“the new Act”) on 31 July 2024, repealing Law n° 31/2009 of 26/10/2009. The new Act introduced some notable changes from a trade mark prosecution perspective. Acquired distinctiveness Previously, the Minister or a competent court had to consider whether a […]

From a patent perspective, the new Act aims to enhance efficiency and align with international standards. Key changes include the option to amend patent applications before allowance or refusal, provided they do not extend beyond the initial scope. Applications can now be converted into provisional applications before examination, allowing for earlier filing dates. The new […]

Emanating from an opposed trade mark opposition, Rwanda’s Registry recently handed down a decision, where the Registry was called on to consider if the trade marks BIGG BOSS and BIGG POPS, when used in relation to confectionery, were confusingly and deceptively similar. In its decision, the Registry referred to foreign case law which emphasised that […]

Rwanda published and enacted Law n° 055/2024 of 20/06/2024 on the Protection of Intellectual Property (“the new Act”) on 31 July 2024, repealing Law n° 31/2009 of 26/10/2009. The new Act introduced some notable changes, which are outlined below. Trade Marks Acquired distinctiveness Previously, the Minister or a competent court had to consider whether a […]

The fifth edition of the All Africa Intellectual Property Rights Summit is to be held in Kigali from 28 to 30 November 2024. The summit is an initiative of the Africa Intellectual Property Centre, an organisation established in 2019 by the International Trade and Research Centre (An independent organisation aimed at providing support and public […]

The headquarters of the first ever African Medicines Agency (AMA) is to be established in Kigali, Rwanda. Agreement to this effect was concluded between the Rwanda and the African Union Commission (AUC) on 10 June 2023. This marks a further step towards making the Agency operational. Rwandan Minister of Health, Sabin Nsanzimana, indicated that the […]

Construction of the first state-of-the-art BioNTech mRNA production facility in Africa begun in Kigali on 23 June 2022. BioNTech co-developed the first approved mRNA-based vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) and is setting up the facility as part of a decentralised pan-African end-to-end manufacturing network. The facility will be able to manufacture a range of mRNA-based vaccines […]

Trade Mark Renewal Exercise – Deadline Extended In accordance with Rwanda Law No. 31/2009 on the Protection of Intellectual Property (“the Law”) of 14 December 2009, all trade marks registered in terms of the old 1963 Act, i.e., trade marks registered before 14 December 2009, were to be renewed before the 14th of December 2019, […]